In general, harvesting of produce, including in particular vegetables such as rapini and other similar type vegetables, involves the manual removal of produce from the field. Usually, a farmworker walks through a field with a cutting tool such as a harvesting knife and manually detaches the exposed produce from its root. The produce is then delivered for further processing, perhaps to a conveyor belt on a self-propelled harvester travelling through the field alongside the worker.
There are drawbacks with the prior art methods, however. They are very labor-intensive, often requiring more workers than are readily available when the plants are ready for harvest. In addition, because of the use of sharp cutting implements used by workers, there is a risk of injury. A need therefore exists to reduce the labor-intensity of the produce harvesting process, to make that process safer and more cost effective. Preferably, account should also be taken of other steps necessary in the harvesting process beyond the removal of the produce from the ground, including inspection, packaging and packing for distribution to the marketplace directly from the field. The present invention satisfies all of the objectives and provides other related advantages such as cutting the rapini or similar type plants into even lengths for convenient packing and shipping, and for enhanced presentation at retail outlets.